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Patented July 8, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l. LUDLOW.

SUBMERSIBLE GUN MOUNT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2B. 1917.

WIT/VESSES ina. N

THE cuLUMBlA PLANQGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

I. LUDLOW.

SUBMERSIBLE GUN MOUNT.

APPLICATION FILED IuIIEza, I9I7.

1 ,SO-9,483. Patented July 8, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I n I 1 I Z614, ya I I WIT/VESSES IN I/EN TOR ISI/'wel Ludlow BVM 1 w A TTOH/I/EI/S THE CoLumx-m VLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. D. c.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIlllIlI V 25 l f kfor ordnance with water covered means for UNITED STATES PATENT' oEEicE.

Y ISRAEL LUDLOW, F NEW YORK, N. Y.v

SUBMERSIBLE GUN-MOU N T.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application led .T une 278, 1917. Serial N o. 177,480.

To all, whom itl may concern:

`Beit known that I, ISRAEL LUoLow, a citi-v ze of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York,

vhave invented a new and Improved Sub- `mersible Gun-Mount, of which the following is a fu1l,lcl`ear, and exact description.

Among te principal objects which the present invention has in view are to provide ordinances. disposable in the open sea yordnance. of the desired type; to. provide means for mounting ordnance in swinging ysubmersible mounts so arranged that the and visible only.r at the moment of discharge g' to providel submersible mountsv for heavy ordnance is. above. the' surface ofthe medium `in which. the. mount is. submerged at the moment of discharge, and settles. below the said surface after and as the result of said discharge; to provide means for pointing the ordnance mechanically; to provide i means for sighting the target or la signalv station from'a submerged operating station; and to provide portable Submersible mounts receiving the ordnance on its recoil after yso discharge.y

i Drwwz'ngs.

Figure 1 is a side viewy of a gun mount constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention, the same being shown in conjunction with a gun carried thereby, .said gun beingshown by full lines as in lirk ing position, and by dotted lines as in subi Vform of the invention;

`Eig. 4 isavertical cross section showing a modified form of the invention;

ig., 5Y is; a detail view of a fragment of they forward end of the gun', showing the v mechanism foreperating the closure cap for the gun. f

Descrip tz'm.

As seen in the drawings, a submersible vessel- 8 having' a peri-scope 9 and conningv tower; 10, is` also provided with a gun chamber 11., The vessel 8 is; constructed on lines design toaiford Strength and room in the gun chamber 11 calculated to meet the preferably constructed on the lines of the disappearing gun used in land fortifications. The conventional recoil cushion cylinders 13 are provided, as well as the swinging arms 14and 15. The arms 14 and 15, as shown best by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, are so disposed that when the gun 12 recoils, the arms 14 and 15 are folded to assume positions relative to thel gun, in which positions-both of the arms 'and the gun are depressed ready'to lbe stowed or housed in the chamber 11.

In active position, the vhull of the vessel 8 is submerged to the top of the conning tower 10. If greater submersion is: desired,

vthe -arms 14 and 15 are made of greater length so that when the gun is discharged, it. is raised above the 'surface of the water.

The arms 14 and 15 are directly mounted on a turntable 16. The turntable 16 isprovidedwith the usual gear members adjacent the periphery thereof, said members being in the present instance, engaged by a Suitable pinion 17 extended from and to be driven by an electric motor 18. Suflicient control -of the turntable 16 lis obtained to point the gun irrespective of the direction of the keel of the vessel 8. The immediate control of the gun-pointing mechanism may be, assigned to the oflicer in the conning tower or his assistant.

The chamber 1 1 opens through the deck Vof the vessel 8 when the doors or bhatches 19 are lifted. The hatches 19 are provided with sealing gaskets so that when closed, the chamber 11 is watertight.

The chamber 11 is provided with the usual inlet and outlet :pipes 20- and 21. The pipe 21 is suitably connected with a pump, the operation whereof serves to eject the water which is contained in the chamber 11 after the operation of the gun and the closure of the hatches 19. This pump may 'be of any suitable construction. Both pipes 20 and' 21 have valves 22 whereby ythe pipes may be manipulated to facilitate the operation for which the said pipes are designed.

As. seen best inl Figs. l and 2 of the draw ings, the gun barrel is provided for direct l contact with water by means of a casing 23.* The casing 23V has a breech cap 247 which isy removed when loading the gun, and to gain access to the breech-block mechanism thereof. .The casing 23. is constructed of' any suitable material and provides an air space between the gun and the casing. This air space under the normal conditions'of serv#v ice provides for insulating the Agun from@ the water into which it plunges after beingv discharged. The possibility or danger of cracking the gunby too rapid cooling of the barrel is thereby avoided. f

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, a modified form of casing or cover for preventing the barrel ofthe gun 12 coming in contact with the water, is shown. The modification consists in an c en cap or cover 2 5, the ends whereof are c osed to provide anv air trap or pocket Yinthe upper regi-ons of the capo r z: cover. Within these regions, the gun is.

held. lThe muzzle vof the gun is closed when inactive by a plug cap 26. A small electric motor 27 or other ysuitable device operates to close the cap 26 over the. muzzle.I Provision yis madeso that the operation ofthe motor 27 shall completely closethe muzzle- .opening to the bore of the gun priory to the immersion Vof the same within the water.

With gun mounts thus constructed, prof vision is made forextending harbor or coast defense beyond the usual limits of ordinary' l gun lire. A systemof fortification for coastr is provided whichis mobile, being adapted' for `.rapidly moving yfrom point to point.

When the vessel 8 is provided with means of propulsion, the points at which the gun may bepresented for iringcan be indefinitely varied.

.In Fig. 4 of the drawings, a modified form :of the invention is shown, theI modification consisting 1n` providing a `full-sized inverted f turret 28, and means vfor elevating and lowering the same for housing inznarrow upturned channels formed by the spaced vtuthe lower edge of the walls 29 and 30are v rack bars 31, the teeth whereofare engaged by pinions 32 ofelectric motors When the motors 33 are energized, the rack bars 31 and turret 28 supported thereby are elevated or depressed vin accordance with the f operation of the: said motors.-

Mounted within the tubular wall 30, is the turntable 16. vThe turntable 16 when applied to lthis form of the invention, has a the joint betweenwtlie inner wall 30 and the edge of the turntable. The' gasket'34 serves to `prevent the ingress of water tothe hull of the vessel 8 when the turret 28 is lifted above the water in which ladder 36, by which the gunJ crew can pass from the hull of the vessel to the interior of the turret 28'. 'Y' Therunway 35 is sealed and made watertight by a door 37, which covers the upper end of the runway. The door 37 Vand the upper end of the runwayv 135. extend above a working platform 38, which is supported' by lattice`- work 39 above the turntable 16.

The turntable 16 vis preferablyvcylindrt" cal.v` The elongated-chamber-40 vis extended above the ymain body ofthe turret to form a housing forthe gun12' whenl the same is'l inthe recoil position.

The modification shown lin Fig. 4 and just above described, lprovides for the expulsionvl of water' fromthe gun chamber after the" same *hasr beenffired and has submerged Eposition. f

recoiled to the Theair which is trapped in' the turret 28 42 formed therein.`

t is sufficientlyl compressed by the waterv seal togdr'ive from thechamb'er all water trapped therein. To this end,a pipe 41 is connected with' the mountingl of the vturn tablel 16 and in open communication with an exit port The pipe' 41 extendsj through the ,deckfof the vessell 8 throughthe water surrounding the same." Y

When provided with a turret 28," theop-y erationv is as follows; Preliminary to firing: thegun', the motors33are energized to lift the turret to Aa positin where the'lower vedge thereof i'sabove theffiring position vof the i gun, as shownby dotted lines in Fig; 4. The `100 elevating mechanism' of the `gun, is immediately operated, and the gun is lifted above the surface of the surrounding water. The

gun is fired andrecoiled to its submerged position.

it is obviousthat the air turret is trappedtherein. When the lower ed pression of the trapped air immediately op The motors 33 are immediatelyl actuated tolower J(he turret 28.' When the lower edge of Ithe' turret entersjthe Water,

containedin the;

le of the" turret 28 enters between the walls 29 andg30, 'the c0mbular walls 29 and 30. Extending through The tting between the wall ofthe turret 28 and the' `wall 30, is suiicientlyA freeto ,permit the water which has entered'the spaceY between the walls'29'and 30 when theturret' was raised, to vescapefron'i the saidspaceto be expelled way of the pipe 41'from v gasket34, which seals or holds watertight,`

the inside of the casing. t When the turret is fully seated, the compression of air isfsufficientftoi practically the Vouter end of the pipe 41 serves to 'pre\ pipe 41.

The door 37 is opened immediatelyafter vent the flow offwaterbackward through the gio .Q the turret 28 has settled to its closed position, the compressed air in the turret entering the body of the vessel 8 through the runway 35 when the air pressure within the hull of the vessel and the turret 28 is equalcrew are at liberty to enter gun 12 is loaded, the men pass through the runway 35, closing the door 37. The motors 33 are then actuated to elevate the turret. It will be understood that when the f turret is being elevated, the door 37 will lift to prevent any rarefaction of the air within. the turret, which might retard its elevation or overload the motors 33. The lift of the door 37, however, is not suiicient v.to permit the ingress of water the moment the lower edge of the turret passes above the edge of the wall 29.

The mechanism for raising the gun 12 lmay be of any approved type, that shown in the. drawings employing an electric 1 vmotor 44, the armature shaft of which has y a pinion 45 engaging a large gear wheel 46, 25

which is attached to the arm 14 of the gun supports. When employing such a lifting mechanism, the fighting officer in the conning tower 10 vof the vessel, after the turret 28 has been elevated, has the current supplied 30 to the motor 44, which'operates to rotate the wheel 46 to raise the gun to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The recoil of the gun operates to return the same-to the Crouching position as shown'in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. As the gun settles back to the crouching position, the cap 26 is closed over the muzzle of the gun 12; This is accomplished by means of a small electric motor 27, the armature shaft of which has a pinion 47, the teeth whereof are engaged by the teeth of a quadrant 48 attached to the cap 26. The electric current for which the motor 27 is operated, is controlled by a switch located within the vessel.

This switch is closed at the same time that the circuit having the wire 49 for igniting the charge within the gun is closed.

It is found that the greater rapidity of the discharge of the gun permits the ejection of the projectile and the gases from the gun prior to the closing of the cap 26. The cap 26 is, however, closed before the gun is immersed in the surrounding water.

Olaz'ms.

1. A gun mount having means for elevating the gun flor discharge and for depressing the same during the recoil of said gun; a portable submerged support for said gun; and means for pointing said gun, said means embodying a periscope, and mechanical devices for shifting the gun while the base thereof is immersed in water.

2. A gun mount having means for elevating the gun for discharge and for depressing the gun during the recoil of said gu'n; a portable submerged support for said gun; means for inclosing said gun in its recoil position for forming a water-tight chamber surrounding the same; means for ejecting water from said chamber; and means for protecting the gun against rapid radiation of heat thereof.

-3. A gun mount having means for elevating the gun for discharge and for depressing the gun during the recoil of said gun; a portable submerged support for said gun; means for inclosing said gun in its recoil position for forming a water-tight chamber surrounding the same; means for ejecting water from said chamber; and means for protecting the gun against rapid radiation of heat'th'ereof, said means embodying an air jacket enveloping said gun.

4. A gun mount having means for elevating the gun for discharge and for depressing the same during the recoil of said gun; a portable submerged support for said gun; means for inclosing said gun in its recoil position for forming a water-tight chamber surroundin the same; and means for ejecting water 2(from said chamber, said means embodying a continuous-wall turret, and means for compressing air within said turret for the expulsion of water therefrom.

ISRAEL LDLOW.

copiers of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

